A BIT OF FRESH AIR in AIR ITAM

WELL, NOT REALLY FRESH AIR as such ... especially with the exhaust fumes. More like a trip back to childhood when life was much simpler and there were no such things as supermarkets and designer coffees. And where better to experience what it was like than at our very own Air Itam, which doesn't seem to have changed in the past fifty years. Just everyone seems to have grown a bit older, is all (as they say in America).

So yesterday morning, for a change, I got up early and drove to Air Itam Market just for the hell of it. It was, as it appears to be every morning, packed, especially the bit where the stalls line both sides of the road leading to Balik Pulau.

I love the hustle and bustle of street life everywhere, but in Malaysia particularly. It's just so "us" isn't it, so colourful and eclectic. The live animals for sale; the fresh fruit and vegetables, the knick-knacks that we should do without but cannot resist buying; the haggling and clamouring for the best bargain. Things have changed a little bit: instead of shouting out his stuff the more canny vendor uses a battery-powered microphone during his demonstration, and that really does draw in curious onlookers. Real kay po chee, we are.

There are a few stalwarts of the market who have been there for decades: for example the two sisters who declined to give their name who sell their Curry Mee from one of the side streets. They have no stall per se, just a few baskets set down on the floor around them.

To be honest the novelty value is there, but I didn't think much of it. I had real issues about the hygiene, especially as there was really nothing to separate their food from the dirt on the ground except a thin basket. They used their hands for practically EVERYTHING, but had no boiling water to blanch the noodles in initially; it was just heated through the soup (albeit twice). On top of that the chopsticks really weren't clean. Usually I can persuade myself to shut one eye to one or two dirty things, but the whole experience wasn't brilliant. It was lukewarm, curdled and tasted pretty bland. You had to serve yourself too. I paid up, had one mouthful and left. They've been there over 30 years apparently. Not sure why.

In my eternal search for the perfect Hokkien Mee I tried out a couple of kopitiams, thinking that such old places MUST surely still have good ones, from generations of hokkien mee makers ... to my disappointment neither was any good really. It's back to Ah Choo's (Sin Seng Lee Kopitiam opposite Tg Bungah Bus Depot) for me.

MASTER CHEF RETURNS

EVEN THO I'm a food writer, I'm not one of those like Anthony Bourdain who will, it seems, eat ANYTHING, whether it used to move or not. Nope, I have to admit to being pretty conservative, although probably better than many as I have been exposed to quite a few different cuisines, and got to enjoy.

Japanese is one that I one such: I learnt to eat sashimi late in life, but having done so, with a vengeance: I love the kick that wasabi gives you - and I freely admit to being one of those who, unlike the Japanese who just dip one little corner of the raw flesh in; I actually dunk the whole thing in and coat it in that delicious green gunpowder! - with raw salmon. Having said that there are certains things that I probably won't dare pop into my mouth.

Last night I was invited to the Equatorial's KAMPACHI Restaurant, where guest Chef Master Koei Ebisawa from the Shizuoka Prefecture (location of the world famous Mount Fuji) showcased his new culinary creations. Master Ebisawa demonstrated how he fillets the specially-imported eel - it took literally less than 30 seconds, so fast that one could barely see it. In Japan he would have been doing it to live creatures. Apparently they have filleting competitions amongst chefs in Japan. One hesitates to think what the loser might do with his sharp knife ...

The food from this part of Japan very much reflects the local produce: green tea, wasabi, shrimp etc. I took No2 son along, and although he was a bit reluctant (raw fish?) after that he told me the Beef Teppanyaki was gorgeous.

I had one of the sets comprising a starter of mixed sashimi, unagi (eel) with rice, the poor eel that he had filleted coated in a batter and lightly fried, and a gelatine dessert which had been coated with green tea powder. There was also a very tasty, crispy pink (cherry-coloured) shrimp (only available from a certain part of Japan at a certain time of the year - apparently the whole ocean turns pink then) tempura.

UNFORTUNATELY Master Ebisawa is only visiting for two nights, so if you are reading this on Saturday the special two nights will be over (but he will be back; this is not his first time in Penang). However the good news is it's still on tonight. And pretty popular too if the number of guests last night was anything to go by - by the time we left people were still coming in.

MAMA MIA MUGGED!

DESPITE BEING nearly 77, my mom is still a sprightly and bright woman whom no one would ever refer to as "old lady". She keeps herself active with her church group, which although not a Christian myself, I think provides excellent fellowship and support. And she even drives herself around still.

Another thing which keeps her mind alert is mah jong - it's something she does practically every day but hey, what else would she do otherwise! She also provides support to fellow senior citizens and quite often takes along stuff she's cooked for them to savour - as she is an excellent nyonya cook (her otak otak is unsurpassed and so is her Perut Ikan) her cooking is very popular.

On Monday afternoon she was delivering some food to a friend in Pulau Tikus when the heavens opened and it bucketed down, so when she got back to her car, she put her handbag down on the passenger seat to take off her glasses to wipe them.

Wouldn't you believe it - the door on the other side of her swung open and her first thought was, "Why has my door swung open?" and before she knew it, a hand had reached in and whisked her handbag away.

She hadn't even had time to register the action before the crook had leapt back on to the back of his motorbike and the accomplice taken off. Luckily she only had a couple of hundred ringgit in her wallet, and her house keys were on her car key bunch which was inserted in the ignition, but luckiest of all is the fact that they did not harm her. When I mentioned the incident to a friend her reaction was, "If I were accosted, I would THROW the handbag to them - as long as they leave me alone"! That is the sorry state of affairs that we have to put up with nowadays.

So there was my poor old mom, bereft and in the pouring rain, left without so much as one sen. HOWEVER she is determined if nothing else, and immediately drove herself to the police station where she made a report (and was asked for RM4 to which her zesty reply was, "Where do you think I'm going to get that money from?"! Good for you, mom! He waived the charge!).

When I spoke to her this morning, she said "Everything else is kao dim now" - the banks have been informed, the cards have been cancelled and replaced; she had to have her IC and driving license reissued.

Although she was very understandably upset when she rang to tell me, as I later told my brother, the best sign of all was she was mostly ANGRY about the whole incident! Because to me, if she can feel anger, she's not depressed or hurt. In fact, she's out there once more, cooking and delivering stuff to friends, and driving herself round again. She's a real go-getter, and a great example to people of that age.

But to the crooks out there who made off with her handbag: you're a despicable cowardly bunch of b_____ds who should GET A LIFE - and a job to go with it, so you can know what it's like to have hard-earned money, and then you will stop preying on innocent victims ESPECIALLY elderly women who have never harmed you or anyone else in their lives! BOO to you.

NOT ALL PLACES IN PENANG ARE GREAT

BEING AS OUR EATERIES are the result of not just one but probably many persons' hard work, I try not to criticise them too much in any of my articles. The eastern mentality, as I've already blogged about, still finds it difficult to accept negative comments, and I really don't want to be shown out the door next time I go there ... or worse!

HOWEVER we were on the way to the airport to pick up No2 son who arrived home last night when he called from KL to say his flight had been delayed. Nothing new of course; happens all the time. So as we were en route, and the CF Food Court opposite Weld Quay was in sight, we decided to stop by and try it out. I'd been meaning to for a while, so it seemed an excellent opportunity to do so. I'm always on the lookout for places I can write about for my fortnightly Sunday Metro column.

It's a cavernous place, rather dark and slightly dingy, but packed, which initially seemed a good sign, but looks can be SOOooo deceiving. There were quite a number of stalls BUT none of the usual Penang favourites like Hokkien Mee, Kuey Teow T'ng or Curry Mee. Now I know why. Probably didn't want to be associated with the place!

We ordered a few different things: chicken satay, Char Kuey Teow, Chicken Rice and, as I always grab at a chance to do so, Thai Glass Noodle Salad.

Now usually when people ask me where the best place in town to eat is I usually say that's too big a question to answer, because not one place serves everything well. The reverse is true: not one place serves everything badly. Usually. At least I used to think so. Not after last night!! I don't think I've had such a poor meal for a long time.

The satay was dry and tasteless (although admittedly cheap - RM5 for 10 sticks as opposed to RM8 in B Ferringhi) and the sauce a miserly amount. The Char Kuey Teow was fried by an Indon worker; it was limp and sad looking - disappointing. The chicken (I'd asked for kay boey bak) looked OK except I probably got one small piece of edible meat out of it - the rest was just fat and skin - that cost RM3.

The tale of woe doesn't stop there - the Glass Noodle Salad, although I'd asked for it to be "spicier", was a disgrace. Although all the ingredients were there, it was bland and tasteless. It seemed to me that they hadn't used any salt, sugar, chilli, lime juice or fish sauce at all. It really doesn't take much more effort to transform it into a delicious dish.

On top of that when we ordered a large bottle of beer to be split between the two of us the drinks woman kept asking me if I wanted a juice, as though she couldn't countenance me even thinking of having a BEER! Thanks but please MYO biz.

I'm glad of one thing though (apart from how wonderful it is to have No2 son back again): now that I HAVE finally visited the place, it will be one that I can tick off on the list, and never return again. And certainly not recommend to anyone let alone my readers.

RUBBING SHOULDERS WITH TOP BRASS

I'm of course referring to one of Penang's stalwarts, Traders Hotel's Brasserie Restaurant in Magazine Road. It was an icon in its time, and one of the few places which served good food in elegant yet not too posh surroundings, its dark wood panelling automatically inspiring a hushed, almost reverent conduct. Service was always excellent, and it was certainly somewhere I used to take good friends if I wanted to celebrate their birthdays in style. (Added advantage is one can always go shopping in KOMTAR or Prangin Mall prior to, and of course one should always have a relaxed stroll after to aid digestion.)

Unfortunately it closed down a few years ago, but reopened again a while back but for weekday lunches only. Now, under forward-thinking GM Karl Karlsson, it has gone one further: he has introduced a one-night a week BYO Wine Dinner every Friday evening, courtesy of his new Executive Chef Chew who joined from Grand Hyatt Shanghai. That chain of hotels has always had a reputation for good food, so I was looking forward to trying it when we were there last week.

It is a semi-buffet concept: a good selection of starters (great sashimi and salads, and I've had some excellent soups there), and a whole host of desserts, including their yummy fried round doughnuts on a stick which go BEAUTIFULLY with the melted chocolate (mmm, I could gorge that by the TABLESPOONFUL), and a choice of appetising mains. The price of the meal depends on what you choose. I went for the beef, and although it was a tad too underdone for me (Chinese lah) it was very tasty. To be honest can't remember what the other choices were BUT as we are going back there again very soon, will be able to find out more.

It appeared all the other diners had a good time too, if the merriment coming from the table next to us was anything to go by. Or could it be the no-corkage wine?!! The good news is that we now have yet another place to choose from when we want to go out for a civilised evening meal in Penang.

FEELING FRUITY?

THEN YOU'RE IN LUCK, as this is definitely your time! Although one of the joys of living in the tropics is the year-round local fruits, it's this time of year that they are even more plentiful.





Our sidewalks abound with colourful and abundant local produce, making for a joyful and eclectic display. Mounds of purple mangosteens beckon, as do combs of beautiful bananas which hang prettily, like yellow satellites. However, when I say local, I mean SE Asian of course, as many of the fruits seem to have come from Thailand!



My favourite stop-off point is Tony's who sells every afternoon at Hillside. He's friendly and funny. The other guy (can't remember his name) who sells from the back of his open van a few doors down has more stuff to offer, but he has rather a bit of an attitude problem (ai mai?) so I prefer to leave it (mai) unless I absolutely have to!


Durians of course are in full season; every where you go, a waft of it assails our sensitive olfactory nerves as soon as we happen to roll down our car windows. It's not a problem for me - although I don't claim to be an aficionado, not even a great fan, I quite like an odd "hoot" or two. I know Mat Sallehs liken it to "eating custard in a public toilet", but it's quite delicious. Actually, I know many Mat Sallehs who love them, including my own husband. So in a way, eating it is sort of self-defense (if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!) kind of thing.

And I definitely prefer the ones you can buy "loose" ie in prepacked lots of RM5 each. Simple, convenient (they really are a bugger to prise open, and very painful too), and not so much that you feel sick after (not to mention the good value - it repeats itself SO often, and for the benefit of all those lucky enough to be near you too). And I know purists will HOWL at me in disdain when I tell you that I prefer not to dirty my hands so they stink for the next day or two so I eat it with a SPOON! (Yes yes I know you're supposed to fill the kernel with water and wash your hands in it etc etc but frankly I think they're old wives' tales but please, prove me wrong!).

However it's the other buah-buahan that I love - the purple bang it (mangosteen) is, to me, the real king of fruits. It's full of Vit C and absolutely moreish - I can sit and indulge in a few kilos at a go. After all, there's nothing to it! As for the bananas and rambutans - it's just fruit heaven.

My passion for WATER LILY MANGOES remains undiminished, despite gorging on it for the past two months (although they're not as good as they used to be, it has to be said). Unfortunately, the season is nearly over, so it's back to the tasteless old faithful, the Chukanan. Still, beggars can't be choosers!

BRITISH MIGHT (or might not ...)

ONE COULDN'T miss it from the ferry, as it sat there, grey and dull, across the water in the Butterworth Wharves, but to be honest the British Royal Navy's largest ship looked rather disappointing at first glance. However, as we approached the mainland, it loomed bigger ... and bigger ... and when we actually drove up to the side of it, it was BIG ... VERY BIG!

The HMS Ocean is apparently (according to Wikipedia) an Amphibious Assault Ship, aka Landing Platform Helicopter, and we were privileged to be one of the 200 guests invited to Commanding Officer Captain Simon King's Cocktail Reception on board. It was impressive, to say the least. And the hunky marines who stood by on guard with their rifles were HUGE ... or maybe I've just got used to seeing relatively smaller Asians in the past few years!

The massive hanger (lower) deck, which is used to store helicopters, was converted into a makeshift reception hall, and it was big enough to hold another thousand people in it! Gives you an idea of how big it was - there were several helicopters tucked away into the corner yet one didn't really see them.

Drinks flowed quite freely, making it a very convivial evening indeed.

It was a pleasure to meet the British Deputy High Commissioner Patrick Moody (there on my left in pix and the Captain in uniform), Rob Hawkins the Hon British Consul for Penang, and many other dignitaries including our very own Dato' Kee Phaik Cheen and her husband Dr Choong, Star bigwigs, erstwhile and current, et al. It was a veritable "who's who" of Penang.

UNFORTUNATELY the only thing which marred the event was the HEAT ... I had gone prepared to be cooled by the Butterworth evening breezes ... but there was little or no ventilation and definitely would have added ten notches to global warming to air condition the huge place, so we were all sweltering and rather sticky. There were many glowing faces I can tell you (including my own), and it wasn't just from the free-flow G&Ts!

However, it was a really pleasant evening, and great to see that, although no longer the maritime power it used to be during say Nelson's time (! - no, I'm not that old), Old Blighty is still a force to be reckoned with. And the "Flag Lowering" ceremony which was held at the end of the evening was a moving tribute to pomp and circumstance.

HMS Ocean will be there until the 23rd. If you get a chance to go and view it you should. The last time a British ship this size docked there was the HMS Invincible - 12 years ago.

GREAT FOOD, GREAT SHOPPING, GREAT PRICES

A few years ago I heard this joke:

A man was being kicked out of his apartment so had to look for somewhere else to rent and was asking round. His friend said, "Yes, I know somewhere you can get a great apartment, lovely view, and very reasonably priced." "YES YES YES," shouted the eager beaver. "BUT," the friend continued, "you have to like Chinese food because it's next to a take away." "YES YES YES," he repated enthusiastically, "I LOVE Chinese food! When can I move in? Where is it?" "Hong Kong," came the funny reply.

That was how I was going to start this post: I've just had a weekend stuffing my face with good food, at very reasonable prices, and managed to throw in a good day's worth of shopping with it. Would you like to do that too? YES YES YES I hear you say. Where, you ask. Can I do it too? Of course! ... in Haadjai!

It's true. For a short drive (2 1/2 hrs to border, 45 mins to Haadjai) and the price of a room (just RM100 per night no breakfast but clean and comfortable, aircon and ensuite), you can really indulge. I love it, although we hadn't been prior to the the last trip as we were put off by the violence. And having recently been, I realise now how much I missed it. So when our friends asked if we would like to join them, we jumped at the excuse to go again, despite having just been a few weeks ago. We had a ball.

It's not somewhere I would want to live in mind, as there's much too much hustle and bustle; coming back to quiet old Penang was a relief. BUT it's where I will definitely go for the shopping and the FOOD. After all, one IS a food writer ... !

The first night we met up with some Thai friends who took us to a gorgeous place opposite the university. The food was excellent, spicy and delicious, and beautifully presented - the Thai Otak Otak is similar to ours but sweeter and quite spicy.

Unfortunately they paid so I don't know what the price is but the second night we ate in a hawker centre and had fresh baked crab, Thai satay, Pad Thai (fried kuey teow), gorgeous fiery red Tom Yam with big prawns, baked fish, and it came to a princely ... 800 Baht - yes just approx RM80. There were 6 of us, so not bad at all.

And for dessert just head for any of the stalls in the Central Dept Store area - a HUGE bowl of Leng Chee Kang and Ginkgo in dried longan syrup (I couldn't finish it there was so much 'liao' inside) was just RM5.

As for shopping - I mean, what CAN'T you buy that's not half the price! From the department store (Central) to fresh food stuff in the markets; stuff you no longer get in Penang as we don't produce it any more like Kueh Kosui Santan (delish) and 12 lots of "knee chang" (glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves) for just RM3. The work that is put into their presentation let alone cooking the food is incredible.

I was SHATTERED when we got back. Shopping, despite what people say, IS hard work! And no, I'm not being paid by Thai Tourism for this write-up!

CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

One hotel which appears to be taking its corporate and social responsibilities seriously is Traders in Penang, to the extent that they are holding a two-day fair which will be opened by Dato' Kee Phaik Cheen today.

As we were there for the first of The Brasserie's Wine Dinners (they are planning to do this once a week only but more of that next time) we were afforded a sneak preview of one of the exhibitions: Royal Terengganu Songket, the cloth with gold or silver threads handwoven into it which only royalty could wear previously.

There will also be other things on display: art, books and get this - a Penang Hokkien Dictionary written by, of all things, a Dutchman Luc de Gijzel. That should be interesting. After all, even as a native Hokkien speaker I have difficulty thinking up words in the dialect. Like can you imagine the word for "the bit at the top of your mouth between the lip and the nose" - I can't even think what it is in ENGLISH let alone Hokkien!! And I wonder how he will get on with the intonations. I am told Hokkien has at least SEVEN if not EIGHT, and even I struggle with some and get them wrong.

Khoo Salma Nasution, our eminent historian, will also be launching her new book "Heritage Houses of Penang". I look forward to that too, as she is an admirable writer who is passionate about preserving everything about this island and state.

Anyway back to the songket: patronised by HM The Queen of Malaysia, there will be a magnificent display of the cloths and products made using it. According to Roslan Wilkinson, who's in charge of the project, they are trying to revive the industry, once solely an East Coast female occupation which earned them pittance, and striving to bring it up to date and the patterns now reflect the times. Get the gorgeous peacock dress in the pix. You'll see it there in pride of place.

BIG DONUTS

One reason why many Americans are, to put it delicately, on the wrong side of the scales, is their food. Fast food, to be more precise. Most of it is processed to death, definitely not additive free, and then deep fried for good measure. Me, I'd sooner use up my quota of non-healthy food for the day with a bowl of steamy, spicy, lardy Hokkien Mee than queue up at the local hamburger joint. At least it hits the right spot in my stomach for the day.

HOWEVER there is one US import I do find irresistible: the DOUGHNUT. And although the Krispy Kremes and Dunkin' Donuts here are nowhere as good as what you get in America, it goes some way towards it. The texture of the dough there is completely different: it's definitely more gooey and a bit stodgy almost, and you won't be able to eat two in a rush I'll bet, cos it will fill your mouth like glue. But it's delicious though, especially with a cup of hot coffee.

So I was a bit sceptical when I saw the queues building up for Gurney Plaza's Big Apple Donuts, especially when they first opened in the basement. Being a typically Penang reaction, ie whenever something/somewhere new opens one HAS to be the first to try it, the queues stretched way way back. And as I hate queues, I have kept well clear of this establishment.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the queues have now died down, as the IM has subsided (a term I coined for the usual opening rush - Initial Mania), and so when I walked past the other day I decided to slip in and grab a box. Of course one, being a canny honorary KS Penangite, has to take advantage of the "buy more get more off" offer, so I bought a box of 12. Here's a tip: go for the filled ones. They are even better value!

To my surprise, they were really rather good! Again, they are not like the ones you get in US. These are much lighter, but the fillings and toppings are quite generous. I'm both delighted and annoyed that they are so tasty, to be honest! And if you leave them in the fridge overnight, just put one on a plate and bung it in the microwave for 10 seconds. Comes out perfect.

Another tip: a friend told me that they can be frozen, so it's obviously more economical to buy bulk and take one out whenever you fancy one ... or three. However I wish she HADN'T told me now. No excuse to finish them all asap ...

Penang ChoralFest

Sometimes people complain to me that Penang has a dearth of "culture" (so called). That's because we don't have things like the MPO or Petronas Twin Towers etc, but what we DO get here is rather quite enjoyable.

Last night for example was the PESSOC (Penang State Symphony Orchestra and Chorus)'s 3rd Choralfest, run by dedicated musicians for musicians. People like the bubbly and irrepressible Leung Dee Ying, Head of Music at Uplands International School, and other musical heavies from KL, put together an entertaining and interesting evening at the Dewan Sri. It was a choir competition comprising participants from local schools, uni and even just adults who like singing - but the nice thing was they mixed them up, so they represented ALL the participating schools.

There was a nice mix of early music, jazz, musicals and contemporary - the latter being easily the most fascinating; it was "thinking out of the box", although the musical hits were fantastic. What was even more amazing was that all the singers (there were over 140 of them) were just given 3 days to learn everything. Well done you guys, and keep up the good work.

What was sad was they played to a not very packed hall. Considering all the effort, I thought they deserved to have a full house. Better luck next time I hope. Please do go next year - it's really worth it. The ticket (RM10 each and RM2 per programme) it's really worth it. Just about covers their costs.

Now I know it's not exactly the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, and the acoustics at the Dewan Sri aren't brilliant either, but for what it cost, it was as entertaining as a night out in KL, and much better value!

SLOW & STEADY MAY NOT WIN THE RACE AFTER ALL ...

Turtles, those huge, lumbering gentle (unless you get a bite that is!) creatures that we often see on wildlife programmes, are in danger. We've always been aware of that, but this message was brought home even more strongly after I attended Rasa Sayang's "Turtle Conservation Programme" yesterday, a worthwhile cause they have been supporting for the past 3 decades.

The 20-minute film they put on showed how the numbers which come to land to lay their eggs have dwindled from several thousand annually just one or two decades ago to just 250 in the last few years. And apparently out of every 10,000 baby turtles which hatch only ... get this ... THREE reach maturity! They are delicious prey for other wildlife, the environment, and of course, I'm sad to say , thoughtless and inconsiderate humans who discard old nets and plastic bags in the sea. These poor creatures think that this flotsam is food and eat them with disastrous consequences. We also - and it doesn't bear thinking about; it's not as though we haven't enough types of food as it is - cook turtle soup, and collect the eggs and EAT THEM!! Gross!

We are lucky - 3 out of the 7 remaining species come to Malaysia, and although everyone thinks they just land in the East Coast, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they also come ashore in the Penang National Park - the Green Turtle and the Olive Ridley Turtle. The park appears to be doing its best to stop the decline by helping the eggs to develop by maintaining the natural habitat for them to land and lay, then releasing them as soon as they are hatched into the sea. And although it's really interesting to be able to say "I've seen a turtle lay its eggs", it does result in decreasing the numbers of turtles who come to shore in the future. They are very shy creatures and will return to the sea if disturbed before they start laying.

By just raising awareness amongst a small group, Rasa Sayang is helping - my hat off to them. But take it one step further and do it with school children who are after all future citizens (or as my childless friend scathingly puts it "trainee adults"), and this effect is multipled many fold. With Uplands International School kids it will spread all over the world. It was an interesting and varied event attended by YB Chow Kon Yeow, who represented the Chief Minister, and other dignitaries, after which baby turtles were released into the sea.

Rocking Hard Around the Clock

Weh heh! It looks like it's all happening! The Hard Rock Hotel in Penang, I mean. The very first in Malaysia. After months of eager anticipation, they have finally set their opening day for 18 September this year, so no going back now!

One of the sure signs is that this week employees from all over the world, including Head Office in Orlando, Florida, are here to train and be trained on how to be Hard Rockers in their "Rock 101" week. It was certainly quite jazzy, with a lot of enthusiastic American-style encouragement and motivation, if the shouts and cheers were anything to go by. According to the dimunitive and cheerful Betty Lim, Director of Sales and Marketing, it's important that they get the right people from the start, and that good training is also vital, hence the week. "We're going to be different."

There will be 250 rooms, 5 f&b outlets including the famous eponymous cafe (glad to hear that), full service luxury spa and ... wait for it ... the largest pool in Penang (2400 sq metres) complete with swim-up bar! Meanwhile, they've already started taking bookings. The Stage Pass looks interesting, although I can't wait for the press invite ... hint hint ...

I was privileged to be invited to meet some of the key players at the Hydro Hotel in Batu Ferringhi today.

I met Elisa Saw, their new Marketing Comms Manager, and also Sean Dee, the No.2 from the US. He told me that Asia is a very important market to them, where they already have 3 hotels and casinos. When they were looking to establish the fourth, they tried to identify a city with a unique character, and decided on Penang as a nice balance between Singapore and Macao. You're quite right. We ARE unique!

Rock on, Hard Rock! Look forward to having you in Penang.

A CASE OF THE RUNS ...

I got an interesting comment the other day from an ex-Penangite who now lives abroad. He visited Penang recently and, like all visitors, probably went overboard on our hawker food, but with unfortunate consequences: a case of the "Delhi Belly" or rather the "Penang Poos" ... in other words, the runs. Talk about, "Hey Ho, Skip to the Loo" ... !!

According to him, Penang stalls leave a lot to be desired when it comes to food and personal hygiene, even in the council-run hawker centres and food courts. Personally, I agree, and feel he has a very valid point. Some stalls are situated in the most undesirable spots - just take a look at the state of the walls behind this Chee Cheong Fun stall. Yet it has one of the best CCF around! And this is just a small example. At least he's wearing gloves and the work top is relatively clean and clutter free. But he's one of the minority.

The fact is I think we have grown immune to it, both literally and figuratively. Our bodies are used to it, and we no longer notice it and can eat at even the most slovenly stall or kopitiam.

There is no doubt that our hawker stalls could do with a bit of re-education when it comes to cleanliness and hygiene, although I don't think it's just Penang which lacks good standards. Many other places, all over Malaysia and indeed I would venture to say Asia, are just as bad, and when it comes to ISO - forget it! We wouldn't stand a chance.

However, the Hokkiens have a saying, "Labsab chiak, labsab tua" which literally translates to, "Rubbish eat, rubbish grow" - even when one has a less than ideal diet, you will still grow. Take it a bit further and actually a few germs are not that bad cos our bodies get used to it. In fact, sometimes when our diets are too "clean", a small amount of the not so clean can fell us quite easily as our immune systems have grown lazy.

And I feel there are two kinds of tummy upsets: one is when one has got out of the habit of eating hot spicy food and reacts, and the other is the REAL bad attack of bad bacteria! I used to suffer from it myself every time I returned to Penang on holiday, but it soon wore off after a day or two. Luckily, I never had the really bad attacks.

That's not to say that we shouldn't try and raise the standards of cleanliness at our hawker stalls and some restaurants, especially in view of the current H1N1 problem, but the question is, "HOW?"

After all, that is one reason why hawker food is so popular - it is cheap and cheerful, and if you were to sanitise it, it would lose a lot of its appeal, and raise the price considerably - rubber gloves, bleach, hot water and good washing-up liquid all cost money. That would be reflected in the cost we end up paying. And the oil price hike before and economic recession recently have already taken its toll on these stallholders: there are fewer people eating out now. In Penang to even raise the cost of a bowl of noodles by 30 sen is already an unpopular move. Can they afford to hike it up again?

It's a sensitive issue, and not one easily resolved. After all, that is one reason why cost of living in Malaysia is still relatively low compared to other countries which have strict hygienic regulations which are regularly and rigidly enforced.

Taiwanese Porridge at the Copthorne Tg Bungah

It's been a Taiwanese weekend!

Occasionally it's nice to chill out with some home cooking, particularly if it's not mine(!), so I like to go to the Copthorne Orchid's Hua Ting Chinese Restaurant in Tanjung Bungah. There they serve up a reasonably-priced Taiwanese Porridge (congee) with a good spread of dishes and condiments. Although it's called Taiwanese, it's more local Hokkien I think, but that's not a complaint at all.

Usually there are three pots kept on the boil: plain, sweet potato and a savoury like minced pork or chicken, and lots of salted egg, pickled vegetables and pei tan (century egg).

Savouries include steamed minced pork and egg custard (delish), taufu, chicken, fish etc, and there's usually a good selection of vegetables too, fried, braised or in oil. There's also usually a fried noodle and/or rice. For RM17++ it's actually very good value, hence it's popular with large families and groups of friends. You'd never be able to cook all this for that price at home. Just think of the trouble it's saved you.

I get somewhere easily accessible, with free parking, air conditioned and clean, so it's usually somewhere I meet up with friends to have a chit chat and catch up, and not worry about how much I eat! My only gripe is that they should occasionally include a spicy dish like a curry or sambal, as I've kept telling Chef - however, not only did they not do that - they, to my dismay - stopped doing it during the week and only open during weekends and public holidays for lunch! Ai yo!!!

My plea to readers is - please frequent it more, as demand may cause them to re-open during the week. It's really a great place and I would hate to see it close down.